Run of Hope 2012

The fourth annual Run of Hope was a huge success with all proceeds going towards Pediatric Brain Tumor Research at Children's Hospital. I have had the honor to participate two years in a row thanks to my sister in law Anne. Her brother Adam and sisters Janet and Helen also joined us. Anne's friend lost her son to a brain tumor; therefore she reached out to us to help raise money for the great cause. Our team started at 3 and this year were 6 of us. Our goal is for our team to continue to grow each year! It was a beautiful day for a beautiful cause.

Easy freezer friendly meals!

For any parent out there who is trying to save time (duh) here is a list of easy freezer meals that I have found very helpful! I typically, spend a weekend a month preparing a handful of these to keep in the freezer for an easy week night dinner! They are easy and allow you to make variations to accommodate your family.

Enjoy!

1. Enchiladas. Use canned enchilada sauce from any grocery store. Green is less spicy than the red, typically. Microwave corn tortillas for a few seconds, until soft. Fill with grilled meat; chicken or lean beef, peppers and onions. Or mix lean beef with a container of chive and onion cream cheese. Set in a baking dish, fold side down. Pour over sauce. Sprinkle cheese and freeze.

2. Pizza. Homemade pizza dough takes this recipe to a whole new level. Take 4 ½ cups flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 ¾ tsp salt, ¼ cup oil, 1 ¾ cup hot tap water. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the oil and water. Knead it all together. Cover it with a tea towel and let sit in a warm place for 20 minutes. Then separate the dough into four loaves. Roll out on a floured cutting board until at desired size and width. Top with sauce and cheese. Place on a cardboard, (you can use cut up diaper boxes) covered with aluminum and wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze. Then use whatever toppings you'd like. Let it thaw, then take it out of the plastic and off of the cardboard. Throw on a pizza stone, into a pre-heated oven at 500 degrees. Baked for 5-10 minutes, or until bubbly.

3. Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry. Bake the chicken breasts ahead of time. Let them cool, then dice them up and toss them in with a pre-made teriyaki sauce and frozen stir-fry vegetables. Place them in a container. When ready, just toss in a high heat pan with peanut oil. Serve with rice.

4. Marinara with Meatballs. Make the meatballs (I have made turkey meatballs and regular-both tasty!) and store them in a separate container from the marinara to prevent sogginess. Serve with noodles, or on hoagie rolls.

5. Mexican Lasagna. Layer browned ground beef, onions, enchilada sauce, corn, and cheese, as you would lasagna.

6. Baked Chicken Penne. It's important to leave the noodles slightly al dente, so they won't get soggy from over-cooking. Then pour over marinara, (or cream sauce) and diced, cooked, chicken breast.

7. Honey Mustard Chicken. 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves. salt and pepper to taste. 1 cup of honey. 1 cup mustard. 2tsp. dried basil. 2tsp. dried paprika. 1 tsp. dried parsley. preheat oven to 350. in a 9x13 baking dish, lightly greased. place chicken breast. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour half of mixture over chicken. Lightly cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, turn chicken over and cover with remaining mixure and bake 10 more minutes until chicken is cooked. Allow to cool, sit for 10-15 minutes before packaging it in freezer friendly containers. Allow to cool and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw completely in the fridge, then bake at 350 for 20-45 minutes (depending on how many peices of chicken you are baking).

* Best storage is in disposable aluminum pans, label with the date and meal description.

Our Rockstar!

Jesse could NOT wait for the Aerosmith shirt to fit Mason! We found it at this great store just outside Pike Place market. They have a TON of different rock band shirts. This was one of our faves! We also enjoyed giving Mason his first mohawk, haha!

Our Cheerleader!

Kylie began cheer last year in second grade as a pee wee and has been in love with it ever since! This year she moved up to the midgets. She is constantly practicing and showing us new cheers and gets excited for each game. One thing she has learned is that it is a huge time commitment. In fact, this Summer (yes, they practice all Summer) she said "mom I am not sure if I am going to do cheer next year. It takes up a lot of time and I am missing out on a lot of opportunities." It was really neat to see her recognize the time commitment cheer entials and that you cannot do it all.

My kiddos!

I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am that I began this blog! I have had SO much fun capturing various moments with my kids, informing everyone what we have been up to and smile SO big each time I create a new post! I am truly blessed!

Cousins!

Yesterday Kylie met her new cousin Summer! We all had so much fun cuddling her! On our way home Kylie said "my favorite part of today was meeting my new baby cousin!" SOOO sweet!

Our family photo

Kylie made this darling picture of our family with bathtub crayons during bath time. They are so fun for kids and easily wash off. She enjoys drawing anything from flowers, butterflies to our family photos. Definitely makes bath time much more enjoyable for kids!

Welcome baby Summer -9/19/12

Today was one of the most memorable, special days that I have ever had. I had the honor to be bedside as my sister gave birth to my beautiful niece Summer. She was 7lbs. 5oz. and 18 inches long. She has just enough medium brown hair to cover her head, healthy inside and out and the most precious, sweet face. I fell in love instantly as I held her in my arms. Welcome to our family!

Happy 3 Months Mason!

This month has been awesome! Mason smiles non stop, coo's and has discovered his hands and feet. He recognizes the close people in his life and when he sees us, he smiles and kicks his feet. He is the sweetest boy ever!!

First Day of 3rd Grade

First day of 3rd grade

Kylie was really excited to begin 3rd grade! Last year she was in a continuous progress classroom which incorporates 2nd and 3rd graders. Therefore, now she is in the same class adn excited to be in the older grade. This year she is really into the store Justice- therefore her first few outfits, back pack adn lunch bag were all from there. Adorable! Good luck love bug! 

Going back to work

Today marks my last day of maternity leave. Sniff. Sniff. I cannot emphasize enough how much I have enjoyed my time off with my family. Knowing that I got to wake up each morning and spend the day how I wanted with my kids was a gift in so many ways! I got to cuddle with Mason non stop, watch his first smile, discover his hands and feet, coo as well as enjoy time with Kylie. We spent time with my niece having picnics in the front yard, played games, went to differnt parks (local as well as northwest trek) and I was able to take her to bible camp, play dates and fun getaways.

I was so lucky to have the entire SUMMER off- the perfect season to try to lose my baby weight. Most days, I took the kids to the Centennial trail where I would push Mason in the jogging stroller and Kylie rode her bike or scooter.

I also loved being able to be available to working mom's who needed me! For once, I could offer to help out other working moms with their kids as they have done for me. It felt so great to give back.
I am going to miss so many things about being home, but will also have an even bigger appreciation and admiration for working moms!

Visiting Jessica and Ben

Happy 8th Birthday to Kylie!

Happy 8th Birthday to our princess Kylie!! What a wonderful, special year it has been! Some days it feels like yesterday when I first met you and other times you remind me that you are a big girl. This year you have grown academically, socially, emotionally and physically! It's been fun watching you enjoy your first cheer season (practicing nonstop), your excitement and anticipation for your new brother and your love for music! I will never forget when you said to me "I hope there is a boy in there- because daddy needs someone to play rough with." We enjoyed a couple of trips to Disneyland and this Summer we finally made it to the Great Wolfe Lodge. Boy did we have a blast going down all of those water slides! You have been REALLY into bike riding this year and playing with your friends. However, we still enjoy our cuddle time in the evenings!

Happy birthday to the most beautiful, sweet, intelligent, smiley girl I know! Happy 8th birthday Kylie Madison Daurie!! We love you!

Celebrating with family at Red Robin

Celebrating with friends hosting a sleep over party

Hmmm...a little tired from staying up so late??